Not enough psychiatrists in rural areas despite suicide risks

A lack of medical professionals wanting to live in rural areas means patients in the country are having difficulty accessing GPs and mental health services, the Rural Health Alliance says.

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The Alliance's chair Jo Scott-Jones, who is also a GP in Ōpōtiki, told Nine to Noon there was a shortage of psychiatrists, psychologists, GPs, nurses, and mental health workers willing to live in remote places.

That was a concern, he said, as suicide was a real issue in rural communities.